Ukraine’s president this Friday denounced Russia for turning the city of Bakhmut, in Donbass, “into burnt ruins” and again defended that peace negotiations with Moscow would mean restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The situation on the frontline “remains very difficult in the main areas of Donbass: Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka, Kreminna. There has been no place to live in these areas for a long time that has not been damaged by shells and fire” of the Russian army , emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky in his usual daily evening speech on social media.
“The occupiers have effectively destroyed Bakhmut. Another city in Donbass turned into burnt ruins by the Russian army,” he added.
Zelensky recalled that the peace formula proposed by his government, which has ten themes, includes the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity.
In this peace plan, Ukraine demands “from nuclear security to the restoration of the territorial integrity of our state, from energy security to the return of all prisoners of war and deportees held on Russian territory,” he stressed.
The minister also explained that his peace plan, which aims to involve the international community in its implementation, aims to “return the Ukrainian flag to all cities and communities in Ukraine”.
“We must guarantee the real responsibility of the terrorist state in this war and we must guarantee the safety of all generations of Ukrainians after the end of this war,” he stressed.
The latest report from the Ukrainian Army General Staff indicates that Russian troops are still “attempting to attack” near Bakhmut.
Photos of muddy trenches, devastated forests and bodies on the battlefield lead to World War I comparisons.
After the setback in Kharkiv, Russian forces concentrated their offensive on Bakhmut, while defending the rest of the front.
The Russian military offensive in Ukraine was launched on February 24 and justified by Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security.
The invasion was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented 6,702 civilian casualties and 10,479 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are far below the actual ones.
Source: DN
